WINTER floods have created a dramatic new surge in motoring claims for compensation from potholes, campaigners revealed yesterday.

The number of claims for pothole damage has risen by 750 per cent in the worst hit area following the wettest winter in England and Wales since 1766.

Council chiefs reacted by warning of a "roads crisis" which is escalating with every round of bad weather.

The AA described Government emergency help totalling £383million as a "drop in the ocean" of what is needed.

Potholes already cost drivers £730million in annual repairs with an average bill of £247 per car - and the survey suggests this overall figure is set to grow.

The road industry recently estimated that it would take £12billion and more than a decade to bring the country's roads up to standard.

Campaign website potholes.co.uk - where drivers can report potholes and get advice on compensation - said Somerset had seen the biggest increase in claims for damage to tyres, wheels, axles and suspension.

Over the winter vast areas of the Somerset Levels were flooded, leaving many villages accessible only by boat.

“If road signs can warn of falling rocks from above then why not craters from below? The average bill for pothole damage now runs at £247, so a sign only needs stop a couple of incidents to justify the expenditure.

"The embarrassment will be for the Government in just how many signs need to be put up – there’s one pothole for every mile of road by some estimates.”

AA president Edmund King said in many areas the flooding had eroded the entire road surface.

He said: ""We are getting a lot of reports from motorists that many local roads are treacherous to wheels, tyres and suspension. These roads are dangerous especially for people on two wheels.

"Local authorities can bid for some extra money from the Government but it is a drop in the ocean compared to what is needed."

Councillor Peter Box, chairman of the Local Government Association’s Economy and Transport Board, said:

“Councils have long warned that our already dilapidated road network could not cope with another extreme winter and the unprecedented recent flooding experienced across the country has left behind a trail of destruction to our highways.

"Our roads are now in such disrepair that it will take more than a decade and £12 billion to bring them up to scratch.

“The Government has responded to our calls for extra funding to repair our roads in recent months but it is simply not enough to free councils trapped in an endless cycle of only being able to patch up our deteriorating network. This will always be more expensive than longer-term preventative work.

“This country is now facing a roads crisis escalating at an alarming pace with every bout of severe weather and following years of underfunding. The Government’s own traffic projections predict a potential increase in local traffic of more than 40 per cent by 2040. This further highlights the urgent need for increased and consistent investment in the widespread resurfacing projects we desperately need if we're ever to see a long-term improvement.”

The Department for Transport said it had made £183.5million available to English councils in emergency funding to help with roads damaged by the wettest winter on record.

And another £200million was made available in the Budget for a Pothole Fund across the UK - including £168million in England.